State Report Shines Positive Light on Florida Charter School Student Performance For Overall Achievement and Learning Gains Compared to All Florida Students

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., (April 14, 2017) – A 2016 Student Achievement Report published this week by the Florida Department of Education (DOE) shows the state’s charter school students are outperforming students in traditional Florida public schools in overall achievement and in learning gains. The report also found that achievement gaps are lower among charter school students when gaps are studied between white students and African-American students and between white students and Hispanic students.

The DOE report is mandated by state law and is a cooperative project published annually by the Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice and the Bureau of Evaluation and Reporting in the Division of Accountability. The report compares average performance on Florida assessment tests by students at charter schools and students at traditional public schools.

“Florida’s charter schools and their students should be applauded for achieving such remarkable results,” said Robert Haag, President of the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools. “The performance measures are further evidence that charter schools are making a meaningful difference in the education of Florida’s students.”

The report is divided into three sections to study overall achievement, learning gains and achievement gaps between student groups. In overall achievement, DOE looked at 77 separate comparisons of overall rates of grade level performance, based on the percentage of students who scored level three or above on Florida assessment tests. In 65 of the 77 comparisons, charter school students showed higher rates of grade level performance.

Comparisons are also included in the report based on the percentage of charter school students making learning gains and the percentage of traditional public school students making learning gains. Comparisons were made based on subject, grade level and subgroup and showed in 82 of 96 comparisons, the percentage of charter school students making learning gains was higher than the percentage of traditional public school students making learning gains.

A third area of assessment in the report is a comparison of achievement gaps, specifically the gap between white students and African-American students and the gap between white students and Hispanic students in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science and Social Studies. In 20 of 22 comparisons, the achievement gap was actually lower – and better – for charter school students than for students in traditional public schools.

The Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools (FCPCS) is the leading charter school membership association in the state, with a membership of nearly 75 percent of all operating charter schools. Since its inception in 1999, FCPCS has been dedicated to creating a national model of high quality, accredited public charter schools that are student-centered and performance-driven. FCPCS provides a wide array of technical support, mentoring, training, networking, and purchasing services to its membership, as well as serving as an advocate for all Florida public charter schools.

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